“Races are won and lost on the walls.” How many times have we heard this statement, and how many times have we seen it happen in actual competition? More times than I can count for sure. One of the greatest demonstrations of this swimming axiom is the infamous Phelps vs. Van Den Hoogenband 200m Freestyle race from the 2007 World Championships that took place in Melbourne, Australia. Watch carefully as Phelps systematically destroys Van Den Hoogenband on each wall, especially the final one. There is no doubt that Michael’s walls (most notably the underwater dolphin kicking after the push off) won the race for him. This is the meet where the word “Phelps” changed from a proper noun to a verb, similar to what took place with the words “Xerox” and “Fedex.” After this historic race, swimmers began to hear the following command from their coaches: “Phelps your walls!” Watch…Learn…and Enjoy!
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